The Birthing Work of the Holy Spirit

NEEDED: A NEW FLOOR

Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, told of a missionary who visited a primitive hut and became nauseated by the filthy floor on which he had to sit. He suggested to his host that they scrub the dirty surface with soap and water, but the man replied, "The floor is just clay—packed down and dry. Add water and it turns to mud. The more you try to wash it, the worse the mess becomes!" Yes, the hut needed something besides an earthen floor.

So it is with the human heart: it is hard and dirty, and nothing will help it. We need new hearts. We must be born again from above! This work of the Holy Spirit is captured in the Gospel according to John 3:1–8. You may wish to read this, in your Bible, before proceeding in this chapter.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night. The scholars are divided over the reason that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Some think that it was because he didn’t wish to lose face with the other leaders, while some believe that he came at night because he was busy carrying out his considerable duties during the day and he wanted to have ample time to cover some weighty matters concerning the kingdom.

At any rate, Nicodemus starts the conversation with a statement rather than a question. His statement has to do with the obvious and perhaps is presented as an opportunity for Jesus to tell him more. Nicodemus seems to be speaking for others, probably the Pharisees and maybe the Jewish leaders, and states that he and his companions knew that Jesus was a teacher who had come from God, because no one could do the signs that He was doing unless God was with him. Yet, Nicodemus seems to be confused. He is probably confused, because Jesus had performed a number of attesting miracles, yet Nicodemus isn’t ready to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. This is a little more obvious in the Greek, because the word "unless" is a conditional particle that presents a condition of the third class, which concerns a probability and not a fact. Nicodemus said, more literally, "No one can do the miracles that you are doing without their being some probability that God is with you!"

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The Holy Spirit literally recreates the believing-sinner and gives him/her the nature of God. The Holy Spirit thus functions as a divine "midwife" to the repenting sinner as He ushers him/her into the Kingdom of God (Willmington’s Guide to the Bible).

• Praise God that we are born again

• Praise God that we are born from above.

• Praise God that we are born from heaven.

• Praise God that we are born of the Spirit.

• Praise God that we are pushed forth from the womb of the Holy Spirit!

We who were dead in trespasses and sins, were warmly and securely nestled into the womb of the Holy Spirit, through the drawing and convicting work of the Holy Spirit. There were labor pains and contractions, as the Holy Spirit worked to birth us as newborn babes in Jesus and citizens of the Kingdom of God. Then, suddenly, we were thrust from the womb of the Holy Spirit into new life, the kingdom of God, and His marvelous light. We were slapped on our spiritual bottoms to awaken us to the marvelous new world.